Chapter 110 – Give It Up, They're at Golden Core Stage—We Can't Compete

“So, Student Lu, you awakened a Heretical Divine Ability because you accidentally ate a fruit from the Black Lotus Sect ten years ago?”

Lu Chen nodded.

After hearing this, Crippled Sword Daoist immediately fell into deep thought.

It wasn’t that he doubted Lu Chen’s words.

Rather, he was pondering whether the fruit Lu Chen had eaten was the thing he knew about.

In fact, even if Lu Chen didn’t say anything, Crippled Sword Daoist had ways to investigate many things himself.

After all, the Black Lotus Rebellion that occurred in Luocheng ten years ago was neither too recent nor too distant.

Even now, many people in Luocheng survived that incident.

The reason they hadn’t been able to investigate it before was twofold.

First, they had no idea what exactly the Black Lotus Sect had obtained from the Great Compassionate Black Lotus Buddha Mother at the cost of sacrificing half of Luocheng.

Second, they never imagined someone could eat that fruit and show no abnormalities for a full ten years.

Now that Lu Chen had provided a clear direction, they could quickly investigate and get results by following this lead.

As for whether Lu Chen might be lying to him, Crippled Sword Daoist didn’t think so.

Judging from Lu Chen’s past experiences, his relationship with the Black Lotus Sect could be described as utterly irreconcilable.

Moreover, if he truly had any collusion with the Black Lotus Sect, Yu Tianqi, who had protected Mu Xiaoye for ten years, would surely have noticed.

Nangong Canjian’s trust in Lu Chen largely stemmed from Yu Tianqi.

Because while anyone else might collude with the Black Lotus Sect, Yu Tianqi absolutely would not!

Nangong Canjian had absolute trust in Yu Tianqi.

Therefore, he naturally had no doubts about Lu Chen, whom Yu Tianqi was willing to vouch for with his life.

Not to mention, Lu Chen had also proven through his actions that he was nothing like those demonic heretics of the Black Lotus Sect.

While Nangong Canjian closed his eyes in contemplation, Lu Chen was also reflecting on whether there was anything amiss in what he had just said.

After reviewing it several times, Lu Chen felt he had said everything he could.

After all, even before coming here, he had anticipated the current situation.

With so many people at No. 1 High witnessing the Heretical Avatar incident, hiding it was impossible.

However, what he wanted to conceal had never been that.

The only thing he truly needed to hide from start to finish was his True Immortal Cultivation mini-game.

Because, ultimately, everything Lu Chen had achieved today relied entirely on this mini-game.

Based on his “half-truth” description earlier, Nangong Canjian clearly mistook the “Heretical Sword” as an ability inherent to the “Heretical Avatar.”

He believed the “Heretical Avatar” Lu Chen summoned was similar to a “Gu Xian Extraterrestrial Body.”

In the history of the Immortal Alliance, there had been numerous instances of “Gu Xian descending to the mortal realm.”

Thus, Lu Chen’s account was not only highly credible but also supported by factual evidence.

Moreover, Nangong Canjian had no idea that Lu Chen could enter various special instances for training through True Immortal Cultivation.So he automatically pieced together that the reason for Lu Chen’s current drastic changes was his perfect absorption of the ‘Ancient Fiend Dao Seed’ from ten years ago.

Indeed, at Nangong Canjian’s level, he was already qualified to know many secrets.

In the conference room, after sorting out the entire sequence of events in his mind, Nangong Canjian spoke: “Student Lu, if my speculation is correct, what you consumed should be the Ancient Fiend Dao Seed.”

“Ancient Fiend Dao Seed?”

As an experienced actor, Lu Chen appropriately feigned unfamiliarity with these four words.

As if he were hearing about the so-called Ancient Fiend Dao Seed for the first time.

Seeing Lu Chen’s reaction, Nangong Canjian immediately waved his hand.

In the next moment, an invisible energy barrier instantly enveloped the conference room.

Preventing anyone nearby from hearing their subsequent conversation.

“Student Lu, the so-called Ancient Fiend Dao Seed can essentially be understood as a materialized form of the ‘Dao’.”

“Unlike our cultivation methods where we Cultivators comprehend the world, the Ancient Fiends obtain power by devouring the Heavenly Dao.”

“During this process, portions of the ‘Dao’ are disseminated in the form of Dao Seeds. Those who consume them essentially master a ‘Dao’ out of thin air.”

“But just as copying answers differs greatly from writing them yourself, the Dao of the Ancient Fiends is vastly different from our Dao.”

“If they wish to advance their Dao, they can only continue through devouring, whereas we can improve through our own cultivation.”

Lu Chen expressed understanding, as his Innate Divine Ability – Heretical Avatar indeed could only be enhanced through Soul Crystal Shards.

In a sense, it wasn’t much different from the Ancient Fiends devouring others to advance.

“According to the current knowledge of the Immortal Alliance, the True Immortals of ancient times seem to have engaged in a prolonged great war with the Ancient Fiends.”

“The specific details of this war remain unknown to us, but the Immortal Alliance’s conclusion is… we didn’t win, but we didn’t lose either.”

“Because based on the information we’ve obtained, during that war, the True Immortals seem to have discovered something previously unknown from the Ancient Fiends.”

“And used it to create a special supreme treasure, thus halting the Ancient Fiends’ further invasion of our world.”

At this point, Nangong Canjian paused, then asked: “I wonder if you’ve heard of the theory of Reincarnation, Student Lu?”

Hearing this, Lu Chen immediately responded gravely: “Lord Nangong, are you referring to the Reincarnation of Immortals, being reborn to cultivate anew?”

Nangong Canjian nodded.

“Among the numerous ancient ruins the Immortal Alliance has discovered, many contain records of the words ‘Reincarnation’.”

“We speculate that although the great war between the two realms caused the fall of many Immortals and Buddhas in our world, they nonetheless found a way to perfect Reincarnation from the Ancient Fiends.”

“To the extent that even after these True Immortals and Buddhas fell, they could preserve their Dao traditions and Buddhist principles, being reborn to cultivate anew.”

“However, these are merely our speculations. Whether it truly happened this way, we cannot know for certain.”

“After all, the Immortal Alliance hasn’t produced an Immortal for a full five thousand years. We currently have no way of knowing the situation in the Thirty-Three Heavens.”

“Everything is just a reasonable inference we’ve made after exploring numerous ancient Secret Realms.”Hearing this, Lu Chen suddenly remarked, “Then I wonder if Daoist Nangong has ever heard of a sect called the Azure Cloud Sect?”

“Azure Cloud Sect?”

Daoist Nangong glanced at Lu Chen in surprise, seemingly curious about where he had learned this information.

But recalling that they were in Luocheng, Nangong Canjian understood.

“You must have discovered traces of this ancient sect at Five Springs Mountain in your school, right?”

The Azure Cloud Sect was actually an ancient sect of this world?!

Lu Chen’s pupils contracted sharply. He never expected that the question which had troubled him for so long would find an answer today.

Previously, he had been uncertain about the connection between the Azure Cloud Sect in the game and the real world.

But with Nangong Canjian’s words, Lu Chen could now be certain.

The era in his game was precisely what the Immortal Alliance referred to as the ancient period.

Seeing Lu Chen lost in thought, Nangong Canjian continued, “Actually, we don’t know much about the Azure Cloud Sect. We only know that its original sect location was Luocheng, right beneath your feet.”

“During the great war in the ancient period, although the Azure Cloud Sect was nearly destroyed, one branch survived and established a completely new sect in the south.”

“Do you know which sect this is?”

After thinking for a moment, Lu Chen said uncertainly, “Could Lord Nangong be referring to the Myriad Enterprises Immortal Sect behind Lihuo Dao Academy?”

Nangong Canjian looked at Lu Chen in surprise, not expecting him to guess so quickly.

Perhaps feeling that Lu Chen had already earned the right to know these secrets, Nangong Canjian decided to share more of the Immortal Alliance’s confidential information.

“Since you’ve guessed it’s the Myriad Enterprises Immortal Sect, why don’t you try to guess why they place such importance on Phoenix Calamity Cultivators—meaning your little girlfriend.”

“Lord Nangong, I’m still a student and don’t have any little girlfriend. Students should focus on their studies, after all.”

Instead of immediately answering Nangong Canjian’s question, Lu Chen seriously refuted the so-called “little girlfriend” remark.

At this, Nangong Canjian’s originally serious expression immediately revealed an amused smile.

His expression seemed to say: You can deceive yourself with such words, but don’t try to fool me—I’ve been through this before.

Who would have thought that the same Nangong Canjian who could chase a Heretical Cultivator for thousands of miles with his sword and cut them down mercilessly would privately be such a gossipy old man.

It was precisely because of this stark contrast in Nangong Canjian’s demeanor that Lu Chen’s impression of him changed considerably.

He no longer saw him merely as a powerful Golden Core Stage cultivator, but simply as an elderly man with whom he could chat casually.

Thinking this, Lu Chen said helplessly, “Lord Nangong, I don’t know much about the affairs of the Myriad Enterprises Immortal Sect. Please don’t keep me in suspense.”

Nangong Canjian chuckled and said, “Actually, the predecessor of the Myriad Enterprises Immortal Sect was the Dan Yang Peak branch of the ancient Azure Cloud Sect.”

“For some unknown reason, this branch not only left the sect and established the Myriad Enterprises Immortal Sect in the south but also took with them a portion of the ‘Yangming Earth Fire’ seed from Dan Yang Peak when they departed.”

“Over the long passage of time, some among these Dan Yang Peak cultivators who came into contact with the Yangming Earth Fire seed seemingly fused with this Earthfire by chance, completely integrating its power into their own bloodline.””And so, the first Phoenix Calamity Cultivator was born.”

“Worth mentioning is that throughout history, without exception, all Phoenix Calamity Cultivators have been female.”

“When I say this, you should understand just how special your little girlfriend is, right?”

Was the Myriad Enterprises Immortal Sect founded by the branch that left Danyang Peak back then?

Hearing this information, Lu Chen couldn’t help but recall what Pang Xiao had told him during the ‘Pot-Lifting Brute’ instance – that his master Spirit Fire Daoist had left Danyang Peak with his disciples back then due to certain special reasons.

This was what ultimately allowed Ji Chang to become the Peak Lord of Danyang Peak.

Based on this, Lu Chen had reason to believe that the person Nangong Canjian mentioned who founded the Myriad Enterprises Immortal Sect was most likely from the same group as his master Spirit Fire Daoist.

Though why Spirit Fire Daoist had done this back then, he still didn’t understand for now.

But for the moment, he only needed to know that the Azure Cloud Sect was an organization that existed during the Immortal Alliance’s ancient era.

Knowing this meant that whether in the game or in reality, he could find many things that would corroborate each other across both worlds.

Perhaps feeling he had already revealed enough secrets to Lu Chen, Nangong Canjian brought the conversation back to Lu Chen himself.

“Regarding the secrets of the Immortal Sects, let’s pause our discussion here for now.”

“If you want to learn more about them, you might as well ask your little girlfriend later.”

“After all, from what I know, those old fellows at the Myriad Enterprises Immortal Sect have long been waiting for their young sect master to finish having her fun and return to inherit the ten-thousand-year foundation of their sect.”

“By then, your little girlfriend will certainly know much about the Myriad Enterprises Immortal Sect.”

“As for the matter of the Ancient Fiend Dao Seed within you, you don’t need to worry too much.”

“After all, you’re not the first cultivator in the Immortal Alliance’s history to have consumed an Ancient Fiend Dao Seed.”

Lu Chen was startled and subconsciously asked: “There are others who have eaten Ancient Fiend Dao Seeds too?”

Nangong Canjian smiled: “Are only the Ancient Fiends allowed to consume us, while we’re not allowed to consume them?”

At this point, Nangong Canjian’s expression gradually turned serious.

“However, regarding external powers like the Ancient Fiend Dao Seed, you’d better use them as little as possible unless absolutely necessary.”

“This isn’t because we dislike such power, but because if we cultivators become accustomed to such shortcuts, it becomes very difficult to return to the proper path.”

“Moreover, the Immortal Alliance’s history isn’t lacking in examples of those who lost themselves because of this, worshipping the Ancient Fiends’ power and thus falling into heterodox ways.”

“But I believe someone who could comprehend two Sword Intents and one Fist Intent during the Qi Condensation Stage wouldn’t be easily bewitched by the Ancient Fiends’ power.”

“After all, no matter how powerful the Ancient Fiend Dao Seed is, at most it can only let you master one Dao, not three Daos at once.”

“Alright, now that we’ve finished discussing the first serious matter, we should talk about another matter.”

“If I’m not mistaken, that little fatty probably wanted you to string us along and get as many benefits from us as possible, right?”

“Uh…”

Looking at Nangong Canjian’s teasing eyes, Lu Chen felt as if his secret had been exposed.

Seeing that Lu Chen didn’t respond, Nangong Canjian immediately understood that he had guessed correctly.Thinking this, he couldn’t help but shake his head: “Morals are declining, truly declining. That little fatty is indeed full of wicked ideas. Fortunately, this old man is more skilled and managed to scare him off in advance.”

“Otherwise, with him around, this enrollment drive of mine would have truly ended up losing the wife and suffering the army’s defeat.”

“Ah?!”

Hearing that Nangong Canjian had deliberately frightened Chen Fugui just now, Lu Chen was instantly stunned.

Seizing the initiative, mixing truth with falsehood—so this was what a genuine Golden Core Stage cultivator was like?

So not only are your cultivation levels high, but your skills in manipulating human relationships are nothing to scoff at either!

Indeed, aside from a few lucky ones.

Every cultivator capable of reaching the Golden Core Stage has their own unique abilities!

Seeing Lu Chen’s astonished expression, Nangong Canjian couldn’t resist saying: “What, can’t this old man use some minor tricks for enrollment?”

“Student Lu, not to criticize you, but your thinking is somewhat outdated.”

“As the saying goes, all’s fair in war. If small tricks can get the job done, why should I put on that nonexistent lofty expert act? It’s all effort with no reward.”

“Look at my closed-door disciple Jiang Dongliu—he’s learned quite a bit from me.”

“Don’t be fooled by his careless appearance; that’s just an act he puts on for others.”

“If anyone truly underestimates him because of that, they’ll definitely suffer a great loss at his hands.”

Looking at Nangong Canjian’s current scheming appearance, Lu Chen found it hard to connect him with the domineering image from a few days ago when he’d traversed three thousand miles with a single sword.

So you Sword Cultivators from the Supreme Purity Dao Palace are all just putting on a show!

I was truly deceived by your television personas!

As if guessing Lu Chen’s thoughts, Nangong Canjian whispered: “Isn’t this all deliberately put on to establish the Immortal Alliance’s powerful image in the public’s mind and intimidate those Demonic Heretics?”

“Official image is official image, private life is private life. Who likes to keep a stern face in private for no reason?”

“Life is like a play, Student Lu… you still have much to learn.”

“The Nine Provinces are vaster than you can imagine.”

I’ve… learned my lesson…

“Alright, enough of that. I heard from that little fatty that you also practice Alchemy, so you wouldn’t be planning to go to Lihuo Dao Academy, would you?”

Without waiting for Lu Chen’s response, Nangong Canjian continued on his own: “Thinking about it carefully, there’s a high probability you’d make that choice.”

“After all, judging by the Comprehension Ability you’ve displayed, it seems you could succeed anywhere you study.”

“If we don’t consider Legacy issues, then Lihuo Dao Academy with its numerous Alchemists could indeed help you make significant progress in a short time. After all, our Clear River Dao Academy can’t provide that many supreme-grade Elixirs.”

Seeing that Lu Chen remained silent during this speech, Nangong Canjian knew he had guessed correctly.

Although he had anticipated this outcome, he still couldn’t help sighing: “It’s fine, no big deal. If you want to go to Lihuo Dao Academy, then go to Lihuo Dao Academy.”

“Anyway, the Four Great Academies frequently have exchange programs. If you encounter a Bottleneck in your cultivation later, you can always apply for an exchange at our Clear River Dao Academy. It won’t be a problem.”

“Well, I’ve said about all there is to say. I hope to see you at Clear River Dao Academy in a couple of years.””See you later, Lu.”

With that, Nangong Canjian stood up and walked outside.

It was unclear what he said to Chen Fugui and Jiang Dongliu.

Moments later, Chen Fugui hurried back in and asked: “Wait, Xiao Lu, did you tell Nangong Canjian everything?”

Recalling his earlier conversation with Nangong Canjian, Lu Chen couldn’t help but say: “Teacher, just give up. He’s at the Golden Core Stage – we’re no match for him. He already guessed what we were planning.”

“Otherwise, why do you think he deliberately put on that stern expression? And why did he have his disciple stall you?”

“All of this… was within his calculations.”

Hearing this, Chen Fugui fell silent for a moment before slumping weakly onto the nearby sofa.

He sighed: “Indeed, these Golden Core cultivators are all old foxes. Uncle Li is like this, Principal Meng is like this, even that old Hao is the same.”

“When it comes to scheming with these old foxes, we’re still too green.”

“After all, they’ve eaten more salt than we’ve eaten rice.”

Lu Chen nodded in complete agreement.

Through this experience, he had come to understand another aspect of Golden Core Stage cultivators.

Not only were their cultivation levels astonishing, but when it came to worldly affairs… each one of them was exceptionally skilled.

They couldn’t win – at their current level, they truly couldn’t compete with these old foxes!

(End of Chapter)